Heather Lloyd-Martin, President of North American Division of SuccessWorks

Matt Tuens, Founder & CEO of AcuVox

The first speaker of the session was Heather-Loyd Martin, who started out by asking some vital questions, such as why do we actually build content, why are we supposed to focus on content and should we inhouse or outsource?

Content is the most important part of SEO and it's simply not enough to throw up articles on the website. The text and its quality has a direct effect on search positions and conversions. Quality content is even more important for the process of link building, for no good brand will ever link to useless content.

The case of AmsterdamEscape.com can teach us a thing or two. The company was even banned from Google earlier but then it showed tremendous improvement by hiring a new SEO team and churning out some great content. The company now ranks well for many different key phrases. The case of BusinessWeek further establishes the importance of content without doubt.

One has to understand that copywriting is all about connecting with the customers. The language should be keeping them, their needs and their demands in mind. Many companies have erred by simply writing some 250 words and stuffing keywords within the same.

Keyword research tools offer us a massive opportunity to find topics and keyword phrases to write on. Make it a point to use these keywords in headlines, sub-headlines as well as in hyperlinks. You can employ site search to create new pages for unrepresented search terms. Content of certain pages can be based on seasonal trends.

One cannot forget that good content would cost some money and getting it could be the most expensive part of SEO campaign. For in house content creation, you would have to impart a substantial amount of training. Never settle for low quality content and make sure you get a content worth your money.

Think about what you are looking for- sales related or informational copy. If you have no writing staff, no time, no editorial calendar, then you'd rather outsource.

The second speaker of the session was Matt Tuens, who showcased how the content side of online industry has evolved over the last ten years. He explained how the perspective towards content has changed substantially over the years. The objective now is to build a helpful website that generates traffic and get maximum returns on investment.

It's important to understand that Content is original SEO. Getting quality content was the reason search engines were built.

It is wrong to believe that people don't think before making their purchasing decisions. Success would come if you believe the exact opposite. Be willing to answer their each and every question. Remember, your content is not all about selling and promoting yourself. If your content language is outrightly marketing oriented then people are intelligent enough to figure out the intentions. Your content should provide solutions, give the readers what they want to know.

It is important that you understand your target audience better. Try to identify the segments in your demographic on the basis of different criteria, such as marital status, age, working or retired, etc. Then write for your particular segment. When you do so, have a clear picture of what your customer would want. Asking yourself some questions might help. Ask yourself the following

Why will people be buying what you are selling?

What exact needs of your customers is your product filling?

Which are the main decision points for your campaign?

What will help to inform them?

What will make them move to action?

The deeper people go in research, the more they will look for someone whom they can trust. Try to identify what will help them come to your product. Carry out your keyword research after you have finished your demographic segmentation. To get quality content, it is important that you don't just run after terms, but go for their meaning.

In your keyword research, the following suggestions might help:

Keep your primary terms broad and strong.

Add a term to each of the secondary, tertiary and long tail keywords. Ensure that you add content topics at each level.

Understand what type of content are you creating. Are they articles, blog posts, news articles, video ones or forums. Keep in mind the structure of your content. Some of these tips will help:

Stacking like pages together and keeping them in the same directories

Ensure a high degree of structural categorization

Try to incorporate virtual categorization

Structure is quite important for your content to ensure maximum effectiveness for your content. An intelligent structure should have a general theming, theme sculpting, internal linking and PageRank sculpting.

Decide on your budget as per your resources. You can have a mid budget or less budget and work on them accordingly. The in-housing or outsourcing decision should also be taken keeping in mind the same.

One critical aspect is to measure the ROI and business organizations often falter since they have no clue as to how to manage the same. Some tips regarding the same

Set standard goals in terms of sales, downloads or page views as per your business model.

Note the indirect metrics, such as page views, time on site, time on page, repeat visits, etc

Watch out for increase in your direct and indirect goals. Check indicative factors, such as the entry pages, most viewed pages.

Only thorough planning, perspective and execution will ensure the fulfillment of your SEO objectives.

Ground-Up SEO Content Development as Pure Business Strategy: PubCon Las Vegas 2008, Day 2, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Navneet Kaushal

Navneet Kaushal is the founder and CEO of PageTraffic, an SEO Agency in India with offices in Chicago, Mumbai and London. A leading search strategist, Navneet helps clients maintain an edge in search engines and the online media. Navneet's expertise has established PageTraffic as one of the most awarded and successful search marketing agencies.

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